Pages

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Say What?

While I was pregnant with Willow, I wasn't able to find out for sure if we were expecting a boy a girl. It could have been for a few reasons:

Position of the baby

Size of baby (too small or too big)

Chinese Law

It was probably a combination of all these things. Plus...there's this thing in Asian culture called "saving face". Which, I suppose is in Western cultures as well, but it's very prevalent in countries like China. If there is a chance of making a mistake/being wrong, you want to cover yourself so that you do not experience any severe consequences or a fate even worse....shame. So the old ultra-sound technician lady would never tell me if we were having a boy or girl back in 2011. The first question I asked after Willow was born was, "is the baby a boy or a girl?"

All this back story to give you a glimpse of our inner-second-guessing-complex-with-baby-genders.

To believe the technician or not to believe. That is the question!

On Friday, I went for my 20 week appointment. It had been so long since my last appointment, that my doctor actually forgot I was pregnant!

During the ultra-sound, I had a new technician. She is at least a few decades younger than the other lady (the other lady did dozens of ultra sounds for me 2011, and also when they thought I had a tumor). She took all the basic measurements and checked the baby out per-usual (China style). This means, waiting in a crowded hallway for your turn, being ushered into a dingy, concrete room. Having a nurse spread a new sheet over the table, you plop down, they start the ultra-sound. You can't see the screen (nationals aren't allowed to see), father's aren't allowed entrance.....

One funny moment was while I was just about to start, this other obviously pregnant lady broke protocol and opened the examination room door. I laughed to myself that I could understand her Chinese.

"I really have to poop! Can I go poop now?" I think they told her she had to wait because a full bladder is required or something.

Anyway, after the usual ultra-sound exam, I asked her if she could discover and communicate to me the baby's gender. She was completely ok with this request. Unlike the last lady who would scowl and need to be cajoled into the task. She was determined too! She even had me lie on my side and on my stomach so she could try to see the baby from different angles.

I kept hearing her mumble, "probably a girl.....girl I think. Probably a girl". My thought process was....I can live with that. I have tons of girl stuff. Don't have to redecorate. This is good news.

And then she and her assistants start laughing---"High possibility it's a boy".Whoa, whoa, whoa. Change-a-roo!

"How high is this possibility?" I wanted to know a percentage or something that was better than 50/50.

"BIG Chance" she laughed again.

I guess that these nurses and technicians are pretty silly when it comes to finding boy parts. I'm positive they don't check gender very often--so maybe it was a giddy moment in their work day.

I decided to text Adam a lie. I can't lie to his face well at all. But it suddenly occurred to me that I could probably be deceptive by text. I told him, "couldn't see if baby was a boy or a girl. Healthy though!"

Later that afternoon, while he was at a meeting, I made blue pudding. I seriously was going to make something more fun.....like cupcakes. But I ran out of time. And pudding is the fastest thing to make. After dinner, Adam grabbed the pudding from the fridge and was concerned about the color.

"Why is the pudding blue? Did you make it blue?" He is worried about my mental state, lately.

"Why do you think the pudding is blue?""Because of the flavor?""No. Think about it!"

"I don't know!""We're having a boy...big chance of it, anyway"

"Wait, you're lying"

Basically, I finally tricked Adam.

And I hope that this baby is not tricking our Chinese doctor-people who aren't used to this kind of check. Because we'll be loading up on boy stuff!

Johnson Family

Follow Us!

this is [me]

I live in Shenyang, China. I'm married to Adam, the love of my life. Our daughter, Willow Rose, was born on July 8, 2011. She is an energetic and loving girl. Our son, Noah Silas was born on August 7, 2013. He is a cool dude, with a peaceful vibe. I used to teach 3rd grade and direct secondary drama productions at Shenyang International School. Now, I enjoy the role of a stay-at-home-mom. Adam teaches middle school science and sponsors student council at SYIS. Here is one place where our life can be shared and remembered.